The Unforgiven
by Vermillion Lynn
Summary: Set during Unforgiven and Survivor Series of 2003, a peek back into the life of the Big Red Monster and the only person he could stand. One-shot.


**A/N: Given how annoyed I am at WWE for their misuse of Kane to the point that I am no longer a fan, I decided to give the old Kane some light considering he just lost that ambulance match when by all means he should have won. So let's go back in Kane and Mindy's history to when he was truly a monster and not what WWE did to him. This story is just a one-shot that takes place around Unforgiven and Survivor Series of 2003 during Kane's nasty streak and feud with Shane. I hope you like it because it was pretty fun to write the abusive bastard :-) xoxo Vermi**

**The Unforgiven**

Unforgiven 2003

"Your back's bleeding…" a high-pitched Canadian accent alongside exhausted Kane peeped as he stalked backstage completely out of breath after his Last Man Standing victory against Shane McMahon. Thanks to the assistance of weapons the seven-foot half-bald monster was beaten to the point that he stood down for a count of nine at the hands of a much smaller, less powerful opponent that was Shane-O.

His peppy blonde girlfriend that was Mindy Stratus had been outside the ring the entire time looking like the little angel that she was: massive breast implants secured into a white strapless skin-tight lace camisole and white ring pants to match. She looked exactly like Trish since in these days that was all they did. The twins always looked exactly alike to the point that it was aggravating, but clearly Kane found the tinier twin more appealing. They tried to look alike, but they weren't identical at all. Mindy had a round face, extra weight, not even five feet tall, thick blonde hair that fell to her rear, and a set of icy blue eyes that seemed overshadowed by her fake tanned skin. She wasn't really blonde either, nor were her plumped lips real, or her French-manicured nails, or her nose that had been broken and operated on five times in her short twenty-one years. Her twenty-second birthday was in December, but luckily Kane had known her long enough to have the 18th burned into his memory. Her plastic surgeries were a setback, but he loved her all the same…if he _could_ love, that was. The tinier twin led a double life between WWE and being the biggest pop star in the world since she was seventeen when he met her. Was her lifestyle annoying? Highly, but he was so used to it even with his new-found nastiness. He was trying to convince Mindy to quit with the bleach and ultraviolet rays, but she was more stubborn than he was so such a task wasn't easy.

Kane's brains had taken quite a beating including camera poles, television monitors, DDTs to the stage, chairs, steel steps…and the low blow made him pretty loopy too. Shane tried to jump from the top of the stage onto him, but Kane managed to roll out of the way of the thirty-foot stage dive and won himself the match. Poor Mindy had a near-heart attack the entire match and finally it was over. A handful of her hair was ripped over by Kane and he just dragged her on backstage. He wasn't exactly romantic towards his girlfriend of nearly five years, and it wasn't just because he was fourteen and a half years older than her. That put a giant rift between them to begin with because he acted more like an abusive father than a boyfriend, but because of the masterful manipulation of Kane's part she was dying in love with him. Real love. It was like a curling iron he didn't know what to do with it.

The natural purple rings around Kane's eyes were practically black from most likely trauma to the top of his gigantic cranium. It took him a minute as he physically dragged the petite little thing by the roots of her blonde hair with his right fingerless-gloved hand to process what his universally labeled 'adorable' girlfriend asked him. What nobody except really him because he took care of her realized was what made her seem 'adorable' was actually paranoid schizophrenia. Her medications were fed to her like a zombie in a milkshake every morning by him since he barely slept anyway. He should have known better than to assume he'd pick up a normal one, but that was what made the little screwball so hideously appealing. Her look wasn't something he cared for, every chick under contract was gorgeous if that was what he really wanted he'd have his pick of the litter even though he scared them all half to death.

"I know" was the rasped brusque response from a usually hoarse deep southern accent. His voice was much higher pitched than his brother's, but it always had that gravel to it.

Shrugging and pouting her heavily pink-glossed lips that stuck out against her fake baked skin Mindy sighed with a shrug, "I don' even remember how ya got that. It was just" gigantic blue eyes nearly bugged out of her beautiful head, "'whoa! Open wound!'"

Exhaling hard through his nose he had to smirk wryly and hide that he found her accent to be funny especially when she tried to tell a story. She never really told a real story unless freshly on medication, otherwise she spoke in what he labeled a 'word salad.' Just disorganized speech around and around with loose remote associations and no real point.

"Wanna know something?" heaving a quick breath, he wrinkled his nose and dragged her quicker so they got to their shared locker room.

Poking her tongue between her teeth she giggled, "What?"

"I can't remember my last name never mind how I achieved cutting myself" he had an open gash on his upper back he gained at the very beginning of the match.

Nodding along Mindy sighed and though she was practically running to keep up with Kane's massive strides (she was about the size of one of his legs), she managed to hug his arm with both of hers since he had her by the hair, "I thought you were gonna lose for a minute when he tried to fall on you…"

Raising nonexistent eyebrows he chewed on his own tongue and reached to pull open the handle to get into their locker room, "…but I didn't."

Kane had to release her hair so he could change out of his wrestling attire and take Mindy somewhere for dinner since she was convinced the catering backstage was poisoned. He personally didn't go for it either, but it was always amusing to have the argument. Blowing air past her lips Mindy didn't bother changing (she never did) and just sighed bouncing in place until Kane passively handed her Coach purse over. He was kind of trained…kind of. He set Jim Ross on fire, Tombstoned Linda McMahon into the steel stage, electrified Shane's junk, but had no problem dealing with handbags.

"You need ice and shit?" she frowned shifting her chunky weight to the left, and the strange look Kane shot her as he pulled a plain black cotton t-shirt over his head said everything his lips could have.

Running a hand over the top of his half-buzzed head Kane dropped to the bench to pull off his wrestling boots, "Define 'shit', please."

Dumbly she shrugged with her tiny child-sized hands behind her back, "I dunno! You need a Band-Aid?"

Removing both boots he reached for his plain black pants and gruffly responded, "No."

Scoffing the ground so lengthy blonde hair fell into her face she gave him her most convincing frown, "Please? Make me feel better?"

God damn it. Rolling his mismatched shadowed eyes he waved a hand until she grinned and practically fell forwards so her arms sat straight over his trapezius muscles before twining around his neck and kissing the tip of his nose.

"I love you…" smiling and touching the top of his head she nodded until he sniffled and just passively stared at her.

"I know" he knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but still the sweetheart smiled and touched his cheek fondly before leaving to quickly grab him an adhesive medical strip. When push came to shove of all the whores considered 'Divas' she really was a good kid. The biggest criticism of her was the label Eric Bischoff snidely deemed her with, 'sweet, innocent Mindy Stratus.' Kane got a lot of flak from the commentators for having Mindy as his significant other considering his reputation, but he didn't pay so much attention to it. No one knew what she saw in him, not even Kane himself.

With her gone he got enough time to finish changing into acceptable street clothes, though he always wore all black anyway so it was never hard to choose outfits. Mindy came back in not only with the bandage, but a pack of ice with Ace wrap and his inhaler that she pulled from her purse. He had asthma since he was a kid but she stood on top of it like a worried mother. His breathing was obnoxiously loud and wheezy, so he reluctantly puffed the medication before accepting the bandage and letting her ice his once-torn bicep. Normally he wasn't so dependent on her at all, but he was in no shape to smack her tonight. He didn't even know if he was going to want to sleep with her later on, the odds weren't in his favor. Sex wasn't an act he particularly enjoyed anyway, especially when his partner was practically the size of a girl in junior high. She didn't really like it either, but thought it would make him love her more if they did. Their relationship was heavily platonic, but every so often basic instinct took over. Whether she realized it or not he knew they were going to end up married one day. He never thought about marriage before her, but saw it more as a mark of territory than emotional commitment.

Not even holding her hand he grabbed his black duffel bag and gave her a jerk of the head, "Minda-Bug,"

With big eyes she scurried right beside him and they left in search of fast food to bring back to the hotel or a twenty-four hour diner. He needed a cigarette like it was nobody's business he smoked a good three packs a day.

…

Survivor Series 2003

Kane sat at the edge of the bed in their hotel room hunched forwards in complete darkness as Mindy colored on the complementary hotel paper right next to him. She didn't have a match of any kind that night, but Kane did. He had an ambulance match with Shane, and though Mindy was nervous all he did was brood. He had been doing that a lot lately, sinking deeper into himself. His behavior had gotten more violent than usual towards Mindy so she was taking to waiting until addressed directly, but this time she just couldn't take it. Rubbing his calloused hands together he was just staring at the wall with a smoking cigarette sticking out between his teeth. He wondered why he had such heavy breathing and horribly rasped voice…chain smoking didn't help that. The hatred between Kane and Shane was deep, and both had made their feud personal. She would love to see Kane destroy Shane to the ninth level for nearly taking him away from her when he crashed him into a tractor trailer with that limousine trap. She had been scared green by that incident she never thought he would walk out of that he was such a bloodied pulp. Technically she was a baby face though, so she really couldn't physically show satisfaction at Kane's actions other than thanking her stars he was okay. She was always a baby face, not once had she turned to pretty much join Kane's dark side, and that was always what was so appealing about them. Despite playing for the wrong sides of the fence they were a solid unit.

"On a scale of one to a thousand how ready are you to beat Shane?" rising onto her knees she rested her hands on his muscular shoulder and grinned.

Taking a long breath and not turning his head he raised nonexistent eyebrows and took another drag of his cigarette, "What did I tell you about touching me out-of-turn, Minda-bug?"

She frowned and pouted her lips slowly removing her hands and sinking back down, "I am sorry…"

"I'm to be touched on my terms," he croaked before making direct eye contact, "Is that understood?"

Sniffling quickly she nodded and his nostrils flared, eyes completely cast in shadow until he turned and tilted his head.

"I don't think you should come tonight…" he said slowly and released a stream of smoke from his mouth to the side, "Shane-O came after you while I was in a coma, don't think I didn't find out"

"But he didn't hurt me" shrugging Mindy frowned and wanted to wrap her arms around him, "I can take care of myself, I can!"

Snorting he eyed her once and shook his head, "Minda…you're a hamster."

With the biggest icy blue eyes she nodded with a meek smile, "I can kick hard…you taught me to fight, you did…"

Nodding absently he let his mind drift from thoughts of decimating Shane just for a moment, "When was our last training session, Bug?"

"Home" pouting her lips she nodded, "Jazz keeps cheating with Teddy Long so you taught me how to baseball kick and make him go away"

Sneering he lunged in her face to the point that she fell on her back in the bed, "OR you can allow me to be there during your matches and none of that will happen…" breathing harshly he barred his teeth, "who knows…maybe you'd actually win a match again. Four-time god damn champion to not winning a match in three months…what the hell is wrong with you?"

Tears surfacing in her eyes she let her lips quiver and shrugged, "I get nervous…"

"Nervous?" he barked, "What for?"

"I dunno if you're watching…"

"Of COURSE I am you little bitch. I could be ringside but you never let me because you're ASHAMED."

"WHAT?" shaking her head she tried to slip out from under him, but a massive hand jammed to her throat and his massive body completely had her pinned. The fact that she was gagging and squirming under him didn't seem to register in his mind, he didn't care.

"You keep reassuring me that I'm just like everybody else, that I'm NORMAL…" his head cocked, "Yet you won't allow me to be at your match?"

Coughing she didn't answer because she physically couldn't, but he didn't care.

"I don't CARE about the purple fuckin' lights, borderline nigger music you come out to" she and Trish had the exact same theme song and lighting, "You think I care about watching two chicks who can't wrestle" he did just insult her, "rip the other's hair out for six and a half minutes? You think it insults my masculinity or something?" that actually was her concern as to why he wouldn't want to go out with her, "Newsflash, Minda…I don't CARE. I wanna be with YOU…" after that arguably normal argument he slipped back into his usual self, "But YOU don't seem to want that, do you Minda?"

Crying and fighting to breathe she shook her head but he slapped her jaw and barked.

"You don't want everyone to LAUGH at me, THAT'S why!"

Her head shook violently, so he turned and snarled before getting right back in her face.

"LOOK AT ME, MINDA! I'm a MONSTER!"

"No" she managed to croak out but he backhanded her quickly.

"You were always such a shitty liar…"

Whimpering her head lolled to the side and at this point she just took it, so he literally pushed her off the bed so hard her body cracked the wall right next to it.

"You stay with good ole J.R. and King on commentary during my match tonight, you understand?"

Crying on her hands and knees she tangled a hand in her long blonde hair before nodding.

"Whenever you get involved everything goes to hell" bending he grabbed her chin and hissed, "STAY. OUT. Of my match. Is that understood?"

She took too long to force the nod so he slammed her back to the wall so hard it would bruise and she whimpered.

"IS. THAT. UNDERSTOOD?"

Slapping the wall to numb the pain she nodded. Exhaling he took a moment to admire her just pinned there and nodded.

"Now that we understand each other…" standing he pointed to the drawers under the TV and scowled, "put some clothes on, I want to sneak in without the usual camera mob that you love so much."

Nodding and still holding a hand in her hair she pushed painfully to her feet and gimped to the chest of drawers.

…

Fluffing her platinum blonde locks to hide the obvious bruising on her upper back Mindy curled her nude plumped lips and made her way to the makeup chairs where Beth, her personal stylist, was patiently awaiting her arrival. Lita was seated in the chair next to her like always since Trish wasn't at this pay-per-view, and caught the dullness to Mindy's entire expression as she moved.

"And where were YOU?" Beth jested lightly at the petite blonde in tan cowboy boots and a mid-thigh length green entirely lace dress that actually showed zero cleavage, but was off-the-shoulder. Style-wise the pair was polar opposites, but that was probably why they made the unlikely duo that they did.

"I wake up slow" nodding Mindy lied since Kane probably went off either to smoke, brood, or pace around his locker room like a bear.

"C'mere…" Lita tapped her feet covered in knee-high black stud laden boots against the bottom of the high chair and motioned towards the petite Stratus twin, "I never see you anymore, where are you?"

She knew Kane basically kept Mindy like a prized Barbie in a glass case. Just exactly how badly he beat her Lita didn't know, but even Matt would always say something most definitely wasn't right. Nobody thought it was right, but who in their right mind would say something. Kane was gradually socially isolating her from everyone but him, and clearly Lita wasn't letting that happen. Mindy was a hell of a personality, but even people like her could be whipped into place.

"Kane's really goin' through a lot…" she tactfully sugar-coated the truth, "I mean REALLY…" nodding with the biggest blue eyes she smiled weakly at the redhead and jumped up to sit right in her lap since Lita was a good five-seven.

"So?" shrugging Lita moved the hip-length thick blonde hair and saw some nasty looking marks from the past on fake-tanned skin. There were also massive fingerprints under Mindy's jaw and lower neck. "Has he been in a hickey mood?" those were no hickeys, and she wasn't born yesterday she knew that.

Shaking her head Mindy bluntly sighed and shrugged with an arm around Lita's shoulders, admiring the fiery red hair, "YOU know what I know, what we ALL know…" she raised medium-toned eyebrows and blew air past her lips, "don't cry for me, Argentina, I picked him."

Kissing Lita's cheek roughly she jumped off the chair and skipped to the chair right next to hers. Leaping up and landing with her legs delicately crossed Mindy's tiny head was already tilted all the way back with her tongue poking out for Beth.

"Make me up, Mama."

Allowing the makeup artist to touch up on her red lipstick Lita frowned and let hazel eyes drift to the petite young woman next to her, "Min…that's NOT okay…"

"What do ya want me to do, Leela?" shrugging Mindy reached to her right where a strawberry milkshake from McDonald's was sitting at her personal request and took a sip, "He needs me. He's not LIKE Mattie or anybody else on this fricken' planet. Kane lives on planet Kane and I'm okay with that"

"I'M not" Beth ribbed while running a curling iron through Mindy's hair at the ends to make it curl up, "He's so SCARY."

"So is Taker" sniffling and drinking more of her milkshake the Canadian shrugged, "but I don't hear y'all bitchin' about HIM."

"He's not dating my best friend…" Lita's brow furrowed as she reconsidered that statement, "do you even date?"

The guffaw Mindy made answered that, "When he wore the mask he was sweet…"

"I agree" Lita nodded before wagging a finger at Mindy yet again, "but clearly things have changed…he's not who we thought he was"

"Yes he is…" frowning Mindy licked her teeth and chewed her straw, "he's good boy. I never saw him without that mask and then it went bye and now he's…" she slapped her thigh, "Kane."

"Is that why you're ditching everyone?" Lita shrugged and curled her thin lips in, "because I'd like to know why you only hang out with HIM anymore."

"He's been under house arrest, in jail, in hospitals, burned in flaming shit, he's not all there in the head you know that…" Mindy's eyes lifted up as she let Beth apply the gold eyeshadow, "it's been a really rough few months for him…"

"And in another few months what's gonna be his excuse?" Lita didn't want to press like that, but Mindy was just batting a thousand lately. "Really. Because I'd like to know what you're gonna say when this DOESN'T stop."

"I made my own bed, okay?" snapping her head to Lita with fire in her piercing gaze Mindy nodded, "Don't worry about me, I ain't lookin' for nothin', I love him, we've been together almost five years, I'm not giving up on him. He never gave up on me and I'm a fucking lunatic."

Hazel eyes narrowed, "You're SICK"

"So is he!" Mindy nodded with a sniffle, "He's a fuckin' bastard who doesn't like anything, I agree. But you know what? He never tries to make me something I'm not. He's got an ambulance match and I'm scared shit. I dunno how he does it but Shane always manages to fuck him up and he's in a NASTY-ASS mood" eyeing Lita she sighed as Beth touched up on her foundation and touched her cheek, "You look beautiful. You have a title match. Go kick some ass. I might make Kane watch on a monitor too."

Lita didn't want the conversation to end there, but for the sake of conserving energy she let it slide.

…

Hunched over a bench in his private locker room Kane sat with the lights dimmed low and a black towel over his head. Giggling and moving to his side Mindy's tiny hand covered the top of the black towel.

"Hi towelhead"

Lifting only his mismatched purple-ringed eyes Kane's nostrils flared, "I gave you specific commands. You gonna listen to them?"

Sighing and moving between his knees she hugged around his neck and stroked his cheek with her knuckles, "You do me one and don't get killed, you understand?"

He cracked a close-lipped smile, "Don't talk TOO much shit on commentary…" he made her smile too, "or I'll kick your little ass when I see it on DVD."

Laughing loudly she pet his face and shifted her weight daintily, "I was actually thinkin' about the way you can sit on X-Box all day playing fuckin' Gears of War."

"You mind your own business" he nodded in a mock-threatening manner until she pulled his face up and they kissed, "I'll put you right next to Shane-O."

"You're not confident or anything…" smirking she stood in front but moved her head back because she knew the limited touching rule.

"I'd love to just take him behind the barn…" looking off to the side, he nodded with widened shadowy eyes, "put one right between his eyes."

"That's not like you" shaking her head she sighed, "you like to play with your food before ya eat it."

His shaved eyebrows rose. She was right. He was too sadistic for that route.

"Did I ever tell you about that German Shepherd dog when I was a kid?" he was about to go off on one of his lovely digressions.

"And now you own one and we love Mitzi very much ya hypocrite" she backed off and rightfully so since he stood to full height, "You know your brother's here tonight, maybe you should say something"

With a glaze over his eyes that she didn't like he nodded, "Oh I'll do something alright…" leaning in her face he snarled, "You just better hope you stay out of my way. You're a novelty, I don't NEED you."

Her face fell.

"You panicking at ringside don't help me win a match. I never needed moral support."

Spreading her shoulders to appear larger even though she only came up to his waist she placed both hands on her hips, "If you didn't need me I wouldn't be here right now. You just don't want me to know you do because you're afraid I'll leave. Rejection scares you more than anything you could possibly do to someone else, am I on a roll or what?"

Yes she was, and he wouldn't dignify it with an answer. He hurt her, he bullied her, but he needed her like crack. Taking a deep breath she took both his massive hands in hers and studied how clean they were. He had veiny hands, but due to his obsessive compulsive disorder she could eat off them. He cleaned everything twelve times. His clothes were immaculate, his car was immaculate, his home before they moved in together was spotless…it was irony to say the least.

"You're gonna win…but try to be safe, okay?"

"What did I tell you about worrying for me?" gripping the styled blonde hair by the handful he physically dragged her out the locker room door and slammed it shut behind them, "I blow my pyro you get the hell away from me, understand?"

She nodded though it hurt a lot to do so.

"That over privileged little nuisance is getting sent to hell and out of our life, Minda-bug…we won't see him around anymore."

"He never bothered ME before you-"

WHAM!

Ripping her neck back by her hair after he slammed her to the nearest cement wall he had to eyeball her hapless before laughing cruelly, "You shut the hell up, let me win my own battle, and leave me alone for the rest of the night."

…

They entered holding hands though Kane stopped to touch the ambulance before heading to the ring with her moving quickly to keep up. He climbed in, let her hug him as he blew his pyro, and then leaned to whisper what the commentators thought was a sweet message but actually was a death threat to stay away from anything to do with him.

He did win the match after getting hit by a car and lots of other bodily injuries, and Mindy had no idea when it was appropriate to come join him as his theme song played. He actually came and got her, which she thought was sweet. Despite being told to leave him the rest of the night he changed his mind, he always did.

…

"Do you feel guilty?" lying on their bed in the hotel room fiddling with the menu for room service Mindy frowned. She wiped all her makeup off and only wore one of his plain black t-shirts. Kane paced back and forth, mainly standing by the window freshly showered from being covered in dirt. To make her happy he wore a pair of black boxers and nothing more. A cigarette hung from his mouth but he couldn't crack open their window for obvious reasons.

Staring out into the city unblinkingly he exhaled, "Shane-O wasn't the only thing on my mind for tonight…" craning his neck he shook his head and looked her in the eye, "all I looked forward to was burying my brother alive…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" shaking her head her lips pouted, "I didn't know what you were doing…"

"I promised the old man" Vince McMahon, "a favor. Now I get free reign. Hard work pays off sometimes, Bug"

"Yeah" her eyes widened, "If you're talkin' about old fashioned butt-fucking your brother then sure, I guess I understand"

"Two careers…" trailing off he nodded, "I ruined two lives tonight…and I don't regret a thing."

"You're not a monster" she shook her head and sighed, "misunderstood. I do love you or I would not be here with you right now."

"Yes you would" he nodded and tilted his head dangerously, "whether you wanted it or not you'd still be here."

Acceptingly she nodded and hoped he would sit on the bed, "Because you love me, right?"

He sneered.

"You're an ASS. I hope Mark comes back and pokes your eyes out with his fuckin' long-ass Gene Simmons tongue."

Snickering he sat right down on the mattress next to her and pulled her into a one-armed hug against his side, "Now THAT was lovely."

**THE END**


End file.
